Sri Lanka is a small island with not much resources but an energetic & talented population of approx. 22 million. They include a variety of shapes, colours & sizes. Preventing conflicts among them & preparing them to match global acceptance levels is the challenge.  During the pre colonial era the masses weren’t exposed to the wider world. Only a few with connections had the opportunity to transact or communicate with visitors. With colonization average citizens were exposed to outer world & especially to foreign languages. With the languages they were fortunate to be exposed to new knowledge. It is sometimes argued that those who forced the average citizens to speak only in vernacular languages had a hidden agenda of getting the best opportunities in the coming decades only to their families. Looking back, it seems true as most decedents of such figures; were educated in English (despite pushing public not to), enjoyed privileges, married foreigners & are domiciled in colonial capitals. If the average citizens were exposed to good education in English medium throughout, SL history would have taken an entirely different course without violence & internal conflicts. It is high time SL learns from other success stories such as India, Philippines, and Hong Kong & Macao in China etc. in this regard.

The De La Salle contribution

One such opportunity SL got was the Lassalian network of institutes including the Diyagala Boys Town in Ragama which produced skilled, non violent locals fit to be global citizens. The need of the hour is such a workforce if SL is to attract investors, enjoy lasting peace & achieve sustainable development. St. John Baptist De La Salle who founded the Lassalian community was canonized as the Patron Saint of Christian Teachers on 15^th May 1950 and the Lassalian community in SL will be celebrating the 73^rd anniversary of the event next week. This note is a mark of respect to the great Saint who took the first steps to educate the poor & the marginalized in all parts of the world including Sri Lanka. As of today, Lassalian community works in 80 countries with 3000 Brothers and 90,000 educators at 1100 educational institutes shaping the lives of more than 1,000,000 children & young adults. Lasallian seats of learning include kindergartens, primary, middle & high schools, non-formal educational centers, vocational training centers and universities (Ref. Lasallian sources).

In Sri Lanka Lassalian contribution had so far donated many thousands of high quality citizens through institutes such as St. Benedict’s College (Kotahena), De Mazenod College (Kandana), St. Anne’s College (Kurunegala), St. Joseph’s College (Grandpass), De La Salle College (Mutwal), St. Lucia’s College (Kotahena), St. Mary’s College (Pettah), St. Sebastian’s College (Moratuwa), St. Anthony’s College (Wattala), St. Mary’s College (Chilaw), St. Bede’s College (Badulla), St. Xavier’s College (Mannar), St. Andrew’s College (Puttalam), St. Mary’s College (Negombo), St. Xavier’s College (Nuwara Eliya) and St. Joseph’s College (Bandarawela). Brother Armin Altamirano Luistro, Superior General of the De La Salle brothers is on a visit to Sri Lanka at present. He is the first Bro Superior General of Asian origins (from Philippines) & will be visiting Lasallian family places including the Diyagala Boys Town, Ragama. The Boys Town established in 1953 by Brother Hermenegild Joseph FSC of France will be celebrating its Diamond Jubilee in 2023. Bro. Superior General will be initiating the Diamond Jubilee activities planned throughout the year for the benefit of under privileged marginalized Children & young adults from all faiths. His expertise as a senior education administrator could be utilized to network the higher education institutes in SL with global institutes.

(Views expressed are personal).